Portable barn gutter cleaner



Dec. 28, 1954 R. G. FERRIS ETA!- 2,693,105

PORTABLE BARN CUTTER CLEANER Filed March 13, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 E02?076: eWG W16, aerZZZI yzzfirgge 7';

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fiwvlyze Dec. 28, 1954 R. s. FERRIS .El' AL 2,698,105

PORTABLE BARN CUTTER CLEANER Filed llarch 13, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 7AWEMA United States Patent PORTABLE BARN GUTTER CLEANER Robert G. Ferrisand Robert L. Yuenger, Harvard, Ill., assignors t0 Starline, Inc., acorporation of Illinois The present invention relates to a means forremoving manure from a cow barn or the like, particularly barns of thetype which are provided with hard floors generally of concrete andhaving a gutter associated with each set of stalls. Cow barns of thistype are usually rectangularly shaped with doors at both ends, andinclude a. central longitudinal aisle extending from door to door. Oneither side of the aisle are the cow stalls which are raised a littleabove the floor; and separating the line of stalls and the central aisleare gutters, one on each side of the aisle. In some barns, however, thedoors are on the sides of the barn and the aisles are transverse. Somebarns contain two or three aisles. In some such barns, the second aislehas stalls on only one side of the aisle.

The stalls are so placed that the animals excretions usually fall or runinto the gutter. Loose straw, feed and the like also fall into or may beeasily swept into the gutter. In winter when cows are in the stallssubstantially all the time, the cleaning of these gutters presents amajor problem. Cleaning them out with forks, spades and other handimplments is back breaking work consuming many man hours per day with aherd of a dozen or more cows. Cleaning them once or more a day isessential in most dairy regions where strict sanitary codes are inforce.

Numerous attempts have been made in the past to remove manure from a cowbarn or the like of the type above mentioned by mechanical means andwhile the prior art devices have been satisfactory in the main, theyhave all involved great expense on the part of the barn owner.Furthermore, the devices now on the market all become aflixed, in part,at least, to the realty and hence are not attractive. to the tenantfarmer who must leave substantial parts of them after the. tenancyterminates.

Many of these devices moreover include machinery and parts which becomevery dirty, are difficult to clean and hence present serious sanitationproblems.

The commercial manure conveyors generally cons1st of two parts, one partfor cleaning. the gutters 1n the barns and removing the manure andrefuse therefrom to the end of a gutter outside of the barn. The otherpart. comprises a means for receiving the manure from. the gutter endsand conveying it to an elevated position where it is dumped into amanurespreader, cart or other removal means. In a few instances a single meansremoves the manure from the gutter and carries it to an elevated dumpingposition.

The gutter cleaning devices generally cons1st of a motor driven chain orrod to which paddles or. scrapers which extend across the gutters areattached. Some comprise a pair of chains, one on each side of thegutter, connected. by rigid cross. member scrapers. In other devices adrag line attached to a suitable power driven reel is provided with ashovel-like scraper at HS free end.

In some gutter cleaners a separate cham conveyor is installed in eachgutter. in such devices motor driven reels are installed at one end ofthe barn and are provided with a chain or other means. to return theconveyor to the gutter. Another motor is necessary to pull the manureloaded conveyor out of the barn.

With other devices connecting gutters are constructed at each end of thebarn thereby providing a. contmuous rectangular gutter. Near each innercorner of the rectangle. pits. are constructed in the. floor of therush: and in which sprocketv wheels are mounted. An endless. cham havingpaddles or scrapers extending across the gutter at frequent intervals islaid in the gutters and mounted on the wheels. A motor and gear box fordriving one or more of the sprocket wheels are usually placed in a pitunder the aisle but are sometimes placed in extensions built at one endof the barn. The manure is engaged by the scrapers and moved to the endof one gutter. All the gianure in both gutters is initially moved bythis kind of evice.

In still other constructions the gutters are provided with rods havingpaddles hinged thereon. A motor reciprocates these rods about eight orten feet. During the forward travel the paddles extend across the gutterand convey the manure toward the end of the gutter. During backwardtravel the paddles swing in to ride over or along side of the manure.All the manure in the gutter is moved initially by this type of cleaner.

The above mentioned gutter cleaning devices merely move the manure andother refuse to the ends of the gutters, and other means are necessaryto receive the manure from the-gutters and move it to an elevatedpositlon outside the barn where it can be received by a suitable meansfor transporting it to the manure pile or other place of disposal. Thus,all such devices are located almost entirely outside the barn, and ahousing must be constructed to protect them from the weather.

Most of the present day systems provide a pit at the end of each gutterto which manure is moved. One end of the elevating conveyor is placed inthis pit. This second conveyor receives the manure from the guttercleaning conveyor and carries it to a position outside the barn where itis dumped into removal means. In another system a movable elevatingconveyor at the barn end is mounted on a track so that it may bealternatively connected to any one of a plurality of gutter cleaningconveyor means. However, this conveyor cannot be moved into and out ofthe building; and thus also requires an expensive extension of the barn.

in at least one instance the elevating conveyor is part of the guttercleaning conveyor. In this system the gutters are joined at one end by aconnecting gutter, and a single endless conveyor chain extends throughboth gutters and has a portion extending out of the barn and over anelevated platform on which is mounted a sprocket Wheel. The chain thenreturns to the barn over another sprocket wheel. The load on this typeof conveyor is very heavy as all the manure in both gutters is carriedout of the gutters and up the elevated platform by a single motor.

Because most of the conveyors now being sold commercially initially moveall the manure in the gutters simultaneously, or at least all the manurein one gutter, it is necessary to equip these conveyors with ratherlarge motors (3-5 horsepower). Furthermore in the type of conveyorswhere the manure in both gutters is initially moved at one time thestrain on the chain, paddles and sprocket wheels is so great thatbreakage frequently occurs and the motors are likely to burn out orotherwise get out of repair.

With all of the above types of conveyors it is essential to build. anextension on the barn or provide a shed or other housing at one or bothends of the barn to house the motor, chain take-up means, rod extension,elevating conveyor and the like. These extensions or additions to thebarn must be kept reasonably Warm in cold weather or the motor will notoperate. Furthermore, most of these extensions include a pit of somesort. These pits become filled with liquid which freezes in cold weather(and prevent operation of the elevating conveyors) unless heatisprovided.

it is obvious from the above that the present equipment for conveyingmanure from barns is very expensive. In substantially all such equipmentat least two large motors are necessary and a large amount of chain andmany paddles or scrapers are required. Costly additions to the barn areessential in cold climates, and the cost of installing the connectinggutters, the pits, the sprockets wheels tive estimate that $3,000.00 isthe minimum required for and the. like is very large. It is believed tobe a conservethe purchase and installation of any of the systems nowbeing produced, commercially; and a great part of this cost is due tothe necessity for adding onto the barn to house that part of the systemwhich extends outside the barn proper.

It is also obvious that parts of the systems become part of the realty.The additions to the barns or separate buildings, the pits and extragutters are examples of such parts.

It is apparent that those systems which consist of endless chains andconnecting gutters cannot be used to clean a barn having more than twolines of stalls without equipping the barn with a separate conveyingsystem for each additional gutter and an added or larger extension ofthe barn to accommodate a second elevating conveyor or an extension ofsuch conveyor.

These devices all present sanitary difliculties. Where pits receive themanure from the gutters, the pits become full of foul liquid which isvery difiicult to remove. The long chains and scrapers are diificult toclean. The sprocket wheels become dirty and must be uncovered forcleaning.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a relativelyinexpensive conveying means for removing manure from a cow ham or thelike.

It is another object of the invention to provide a conveying means ofthe above type substantially none of which will be a permanent part ofthe barn but which may be readily attached thereto and removedtherefrom.

Itis a further object of the invention to provide such a conveying meanswhich may be stored in the barn when not in use and which may be readilymoved out of the barn for operating purposes, so that it may beprotected from the weather and the lubricants may be sufficiently warmfor winter use.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a single means forconveying manure from a cow barn having tw or more gutters.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conveying means whichmay be readily cleaned.

The present invention comprises a rolling carriage suspended from anoverhead track, and a chain elevating conveyor assembly pivotallysupported on the carriage with its lower end normally at floor level.The conveyor assembly includes a frame on which are mounted a winch,anda motor which drives both the winch and the conveyor chain. Theconveyor mechanism has a fixed galvanized steel floor upon which therefuse is conveyed by a series of transverse scrapers extending betweenendless chains which run over sprocket wheels at the ends of the ramp inthe usual manner. An intake chute is pivoted at the lower end of theramp frame, so that its end may be butted against a step at the end of abarn gutter. The motor driven winch has a reel on which is wound astainless steel drag line cable, at the free end of which is attached ashovel-like scraper which may be manually guided along the barn gutteras the cable is wound on. the reel.

The overhead track is attached to the ceiling of the barn at the centerof the aisle, and connects at the door with a swinging boom which formsa continuation of the track. Thus, the apparatus may be stored insidethe barn with the elevating conveyor mechanism tipped to a horizontaloverhead storage position just beneath the track; and for use theapparatus may be pushed outside the barn, the boom swung toward thegutter to be cleaned. and the ramp aligned with said gutter and tilteduntil the intake chute butts against the step at the end of the gutter.After starting the motor to operate the endless chain, the scraper iscarried into the barn an appropriate distance and placed in the gutterand the drag line winch is thrown into gear to drag the scraper towardthe ramp. The scraper pushes the manure in the gutter through the intakechute and onto the ramp where it is picked up by the scraper members,carried to the high end of the ramp and dumped into a truck or otherremoval means. The winch may be thrown into gear by a tug on the cable.and automatic means are provided to throw it out of gear when the dragline scraper reaches the conveyor.

After one gutter is cleaned the conveyor assembly is elevated and theboom is swung to align the assembly with the other gutter and theprocedure is repeated. The carriage and the entire conveyor assembly maythen be replaced in the barn for storage until the next cleaning. Incases where the barn contains more than two gutters the boom may be madelonger or may be replaced by a stationary. support attached. to andrunning along the outer wall of the building and under which the trackis mounted.

The gutters usually extend to the barn door which may be left open topermit the intake chute to be placed in the gutter end. Suitable smallopenings may also be made in or adjacent the barn door to accommodatethe ramp end so that the door may be closed in cold weather. Trap doorsor other closures may be provided for these openings. It is desirable todeepen and widen the gutter end and provide a low step to accommodatethe intake chute for the ramp, but this may be done at small cost.

it is generally necessary to make two or more trips with the gutterscraper to clean each gutter. This depends on the length of the gutterand the depth of the matter therein. The part of the gutter near theramp is cleaned first, then the part adjacent the cleaned part and soon. Inasmuch as the drag line operates at a speed much greater than thatof the old type chain and rod conveyors, the gutter is cleaned veryrapidly even when three or more trips are necessary.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevational view ofthe device, with the end of the barn gutter and the conveyor positioningbox shown in section; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is afragmentary sectional view taken as indicated along the line 3-3 of Fig.2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken as indicated along the line 4-4 ofFig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken as indicated along the line 55of Fig. 3; Fig.6 is a sectional view taken as indicated along the line6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a sectional view as indicated taken along theline 7-7 of Fig. 5; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detailed central verticalsectional view of the lower end of the conveyor mechanism; Fig. 9 is asection taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a fragmentarydetailed central vertical sectional view of the upper end of theconveyor'mechanism; Fig. 11 is a section taken as indicated along theline 1111 of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a section taken as indicated along theline 12-12 of Fig. 1; Fig. 13 is a fragmentary elevation of the lowerend of the elevating conveyor, with the conveyor positioning box insection; Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the conveyor positioning box;Fig. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken as indicatedalong the line 1S15 of Fig. 13; and Fig. 16 is a transverse sectionalview of the hold down latch assembly.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail and referring particularlyto Fig. 1, it will be seen that the gutter cleaner consists generally ofoverhead supporting track members .A, a wheeled carriage B suspendedfrom the track so as to roll thereon; an elevating conveyor assembly Cmounted on the carriage B; and a drag line scoop mechanism D operated bya winch on the elevating conveyor assembly. Suitable driving mechanism Eis provided for the elevating conveyor C and the drag line scoop D.

A barn, a portion of which is shown in section and indicated generallyat 8, has an end wall 9 provided with a doorway 10. A concrete cleaningalley floor 11 and a stall bed floor 12 are separated by a gutter 13which extends continuously behind the cow stalls in the barn. Ordinarilya dairy barn has a center aisle flanked by rows of cow stalls in whichthe cows back up to the center aisle, and there is a gutter 13 at eachside of the aisle. In order to best accommodate the gutter cleaningmechanism of this invention, the outer end of the gutter 13 is widenedslightly, as to form a shallow conveyor positioning box 14 adjoining theend of the gutter.

As best seen in Fig. 14, the positioning box 14 slopes toward the gutterend, and has a trough 15 at its inner end which has a slanting face 15aforming a step up to the gutter 13. A Z-bar 16, preferably formed ofexpanded metal, reinforces the gutter end, step and trough. At the outerend of the box 14 is an inclined lip 14a which is level with thecleaning alley fioor 11 to form a dam at the outer end of the box 14 andto provide a face 14b flush with the outer end of the cleaning alleyfloor against which the lower end of the barn door rides. It is seenthat any fluid which runs out of the conveyor assembly C drops into thebox 14 and flows back into the trough 15 where it may be picked up witha subsequent load of refuse from the gutter 13. A pair of opposed metalsockets 18 are set in the sides of the box 14 to receive hold downlatches on the conveyor, as will be described in detail hereafter. Thepositioning box 14, being formed in the concrete of the barn floor,

P ovides a fixed station for the inner end of the conveyor assembly Cwhich does not obstruct the barn floor in any wayand which permits thereceiving end of the conveyor assembly to be easily and quickly alignedwith the end of the gutter. The inclined step up from the trough to theend of the gutter 13 provides a surface against which the end of theassembly abuts. The conveyor assembly may be quickly removed from thepositioning box at the end of the cleaning operation.

Hung within the barn is an overhead track assembly A which is of awell-known type. heretofore used in barn equipment. The track consistsgenerally of a pair of spaced angle members 19 which are hung fromcentral hanger pins 19a which may also serve asv the. spacing membersfor he angle members forming the track. The track assembly A is mountedon the ceiling of a barn along the c n er of the aisle, and. has, a.first portion 20 inside the barn and a second portion 2,1 outside thebarn. The P i v21 i s pe de beneath a swinging boom 22 which issupported on a wall bracket 23 by means of 21 hinge pin 24. The tracksection 21 is likewise hinged with respect to the track section .0 on apin 25, and a sliding section of track 26 may 3 Provided to afiord asmooth connection between the sections 20 and 21 in any position of theboom arm 22. The boom arm 22 at is of a type which is. well-known inthe. barn equipment field, and as is customary it is supported from thebarn wall by guy wires (not shown) which are secured at their inner endsto a clevis on the barn Wall directly above the boom bracket 23. e

The wheeled carriage. B has a travelling assembly indicated generally at27. which includes a hanger bar 28 secured beneath spaced upstandingU-brackets 29. A pair of laterally spaced wheels 30 are journalledonstub axles in the. upright portions of each U-bracket 29, and rollupon the angle members 19 of the track assembly A. Depending from thehanger bar 28 is a threaded hook 31 at the lower end of which a stirrupmember 32. is retained by means of a pair of threaded nuts 33.

The elevating conveyor assembly C includes a motor and winch supportframe, indicated generally at 34, which consists of a pair of uprightside plates 35 connected by a transverse motor support plate 36 andthrough the upper ends of the side plates 35 passes. a supporting pin 37by means of which the elevatmgconveyor assembly is pivotally suspendedfrom the. stirrup member 32. A conveyor ramp 38 of the assembly C,bolted between the side plates, 35, is formed of a single piece of metaland has upstanding sides. 39 which have inturned top margins 40. As bestseen in Flg. 10 the upper end of the conveyor ramp 38 is provided with apair of reinforcing side plates 41 to carry the drive gears. as will bedescribed hereinafter; and as best seen 1n Fig. 8 the lower end of theconveyor rarnp38 is pro vided with reinforcing side plates 42 which havestrengthening flanges 43. Extending beneath the conveyor ramp arelongitudinal angle members 44 WhlCh are bolted to the motor support sideplates 35, and the top and bottom reinforcing side plates 41 and 42.Supported on the angle members 44 is a return pan 45- whlch 1s parallelto. and spaced below theconveyor ramp 38. Secured at the lower end ofthe return pair. 45, and supported, by the angle members .4. and, bottomreinforclng side plates 42, is a fluid trap 46 which catches any fluidthat flows down the ramp.

Atthe lower end of the conveyor ramp spa ced above its fluid trap 46,is. a sprocket shaft, 57 which is slldably supported in longitudinalslots 57a 1n the lower side reinforcing plates 42. Threaded adjustingbolts 5 8 extend through apertured ears 58a, punched from the remforclngplates 42, and through apertures 1n the. ends of the sprocket shaft 57.The heads of. the bolts 58 butt agamst the ears 58a. so that the boltsand their nuts, 58b: may serve to adjust the shaft 57 longitudinally of.the: ramp 38. Mounted on the shaft 57 is. a ramp bottom assemblycomprising a scroll piece 59 and, end pieces 59a which are apertured toreceive the shaft 57. The upper end, of the scroll 5.9 overlaps thelower end of the ramp. 38.

As best seen in Figs. land. 13, an, intake chute 4'2 is pivoted betweenthe bottom reinforcing side, plates 42 on a pair. of short bolts. 48.The intake. chute. 1s formed of a single piece of shee metalv which is.shaped to pro.- vide a. bottom. 49 and p rallel upr sht sides; withinwazr ly xtendinntop fla g 51lo- The intakechute is. wider than hegutter, bu narrower than the. conveyor ramp. As seen in Fig. 8, theupper end of the intake chute 47 is positioned above the upper part ofthe ramp bottom scroll 59 so that material pushed through the intakechute is deposited upon the scroll and may be moved onto the ramp. Asseen in Figs. 1 and 2, the forward end of the intake chute is soproportioned that its upright side walls 50 fit close to the side of theconveyor positioning well 14, and its forward edge rests in the trough15 at the end of the gutter. The slanting step 15a of the trough 15assures that the chute 47 may be elevated without catching on the step.The intake chute 47 is provided with stops 51 and 52 which limit itspivotal movement in both directions.

As best seen in Figs. 13 and 15, a hold down latch assembly, indicatedgenerally at 122, includes a pair of angle members 123 which are mountedbetween the re inforcing side plates 42 of the conveyor ramp with theirangles in opposed positions and their sides parallel to form a sort ofelongated box having top and bottom slots. The box serves as a supportand guide for a pair of slid able latch pins 124 and 125 which are urgedoutwardly by a compression spring 126 and extend beyond the flanges 43of the side plates 42. A center cross pin 127 and bolt 128 serve asspring retainers to prevent both latch pins 124 and 125 from sliding ineither direction as a unit. A latch chain 129 has an end secured to thepin 125, and passes beneath the. conveyor ramp, over guide 130 andthrough an eye 133 which are positioned on a side plate 42 above the pin124. The opposite end of the chain is secured to the pin 124 and passesover a guide 132 and through a second eye 133 which are. positioned onthe other side plate 42 above the pin 125. The body of the latch chain129 spans the ramp above the side plates 42 where. it may be readilygrasped and pulled to retract the latch pins 124 and 125 to permit theend of the ramp to be lowered into the ramp positioning box 14. The pins124 and 125 may then be released to engage the sockets 18 in the wallsof the box 14, so that the ramp is firmly latched in place and cannotoverbalance when a heavy slug of refuse approaches the elevateddischarge end of the conveyor. Preferably a rubber cover tube 134jackets the upper portion of the chain 129.

Material deposited at thev bottom of the conveyor ramp is moved up theramp by driven conveyor chain means, the construction of which will nowbe detailed. As best seen in Figs. 10 and 11, the upper reinforcing sideplates 41 are apertured to receive a drive shaft 53. which extendsthrough both of said reinforcing side plates and is journalled in bronzeflanged bearings 54 which are secured to the outer surfaces of thereinforcing side. plates 41.

Keyed on the drive shaft 53 inside the reinforcing side plates 41 are apair of drive. sprockets 55 which project into recesses 56 in theconveyor ramp 38. As seen in Fig. 8, a pair of sprockets 60 arerotatably supported upon the sprocket shaft 57 at the lower end of theramp, be tween the ramp side walls 39 and the scroll end pieces 59a.Extending over the sprockets 55 and 60, and adapted to be driven by thesprockets 55, are a pair of endless block chains 61 which extend alongthe lateral margins of the ramp bottom 38. Extending transversely of theramp bottom 38 and secured at; both ends to the chains 61 are aplurality of angle members 62 which act as scrapers, or paddles formoving refuse up the ramp to its elevated discharge end. As seen inFigs. 10 and ll, a stiff wire bristle brush 6.3 is secured to the upperside reinforcing plates 41 in such a position, that, after the chains 61and the cross scrapers 62 pass over the. upper sprockets 55 they arethoroughly scrubbed by the bristles to remove refuse clinging to theirunder surfaces. Most of this refuse falls out the open. upper end of theconveyor assembly, but some falls into. the return pan 45 and is carrieddown by the. scrapers 62 and around the. fluid trap 45 onto the conveyorramp 3%.

The drive mechanism E for. the apparatus includes. two major driveportions, one for the conveyor C and the other for the drag line scoopmechanism D, both driven off a motor 64 which is, mounted on top of themotor support plate 36. Because of the fact that the apparatus of thisinvention moves only relatively small quantities of refuse at a time a 1/2. horsepower motor is adequate... and even a l horsepower unit issatisfactory. The. drive; from the motor 64 is through a V-belt 65 tov aV-pulley- 66 provided with a fixed pinion 67', both of which. are journalled at one. end of a counter shaft 68-which,, as best seen in. Fig.11, extends between. the upper reinforcing; side 4! plates 41 adjacentthe drive shaft 53. A gear 69 keyed on the end of the drive shaft 53meshes with the gear 67 to drive the sprockets 55 and chains 61; and adrive sprocket 70 at the opposite end of the sprocket shaft 53 carries adrive chain 71 which provides power for a winch drive shaft 72 on themotor and winch support 34 through a sprocket 73. Tension of the drivenchain 71 is adjusted by means of a movable take-up idler 74 (Fig. 2).

As best seen in Fig. 4, the drag line scoop mechanism D includes a winchreel 75 which is rotatably mounted on the winch shaft 72, said shaftbeing rotatable in journals 76 secured to the upright side plates 35 ofthe motor and winch support frame 34. The other major elements of thedrag line scoop mechanism are a drag line cable 77 wound on the winchreel 75, and a drag line scoop, indicated generally at 78 (Fig. 1). Asbest seen in Figs. 1, 4 and 9, the cable 77 extends through a slot in atransversely extending yoke arm 79 which is a portion of the winch drivecontrol mechanism, thence under a pulley 80 which is spindled in abracket 81 on the underside of a bridge plate 82 which spans the lowerreinforcing side plates 42. It then passes through a fixed eye 83 whichis mounted at the lower end of the handle 84 of the drag scoop 78, justabove the scoop blade 85. The cable then extends parallel to the handle84 and its end is firmly I secured in a terminal clamp 86 at the upperend of the handle 84. The reason for this arrangement of the cable 77with respect to the handle 84 will become clear when the operation ofthe winch drive control is described.

Referring now to Figs. 3 to 7, and especially to Figs. 3 and 4, thewinch assembly and drive includes the reel 75 with its end plates 87 and88, said winch reel being rotatably mounted on the winch drive shaft 72.A cable guard assembly comprises annular guard plates 87a and 88a whichsurround, respectively, the end plates 87 and 88 of the winch reel 75and are supported on a cross rod 89. Spacer rods 89a and 89b extendbetween the an nular guard plates. A compression spring 90 is positionedbetween the end plate 88 and a spring stop 90a so as to urge the reeltoward a clutch plate 91 which is keyed on the winch drive shaft 72. Aplurality of clutch shoes 92 on the reel end plate 87 are kept in lightfrictional contact with the clutch plate 91, so that as long as theshaft 72 is being driven by the motor 64 there is a small continuousforce tending to wind the cable 77 on the reel 75. The spring 90 is soadjusted that this force may be readily overcome by manually pulling thedrag scoop 78 away from the conveyor assembly C, thus unreeling thecable 77 against the slight driving force exerted through the frictionclutch plate 91.

A positive drive linkage for the winch, best seen in Figs. and 6, isprovided by a drive plate 93 which is rotatably and slidably mounted onthe shaft 72 and has four driving studs 94 which project throughapertures in the clutch plate 91 and are positioned to engage driveslots 95 in the end plate 87 of the winch reel 75. The drive plateincludes a neck 96 having spaced annular collars 97 to provide anengaging groove for an operating finger 98 which is at one end of theyoke arm 79. The yoke arm 79 is pivoted on a bolt 99 mounted on abracket 100, so that movement of the yoke arm about its pivot engagesand disengages the drive studs 94 and slots 95 of the positive drivelinkage.

As best seen in Fig. 4, the pivotally mounted slotted yoke arm 79 is theprincipal element of the drive linkage control mechanism, and isprovided with a spring arm 101 from which a tension spring 102 extendsto a flange of the adjacent motor support side plate 35, so that theyoke arm is spring urged in a direction tending to engage the drivelinkage through studs 94 and slots 95. A latch arm 103 is supported on alatch arm bracket 104 for rocking movement about a pivot 105. The latcharm 103 has at its outer end an adjustable latch assembly 106 consistingof a nut 107 welded to the latch arm, a bolt 108 threaded therein, and alatch adjuster piece 109 car ried on the bolt and having a bifurcatedend 110 spanning the latch arm 103 and slidable thereon. The latchassembly 106 is adjusted to a position such that when the latch arm isin its elevated, latching position as seen in Fig. 3, the adjuster piece109 hooks behind the free end 79a of the yoke arm 79 to retain the drivelinkage studs 94 out of engagement with the slots 95. A downwardlyextending latch spring 111 has its free end bearing against a springstop 112 on the latch arm bracket 104, and is biased to urge the latcharm 103 to its latching position. At the end of the latch arm oppositethe adjustable latch assembly 106 is a projecting latch spring finger113 which is positioned adjacent the reel side plate 88 so as to extendinto the path of travel of a latch trip lug 114 which projects outwardlyfrom said side plate.

The final element of the winch drive linkage control is a trip mechanismon the cable 77, consisting of a fixed lug 115 and a slidable Washer115a. The lug 115 is small enough to pass over the pulley 80 withoutcausing the cable to jump out of the pulley groove. As the cable windson the drum and the lug 115 approaches the yoke arm 79 it picks up thewasher 115a which has an inside diameter less than the diameter of thelug 115 and an outside diameter great enough that it cannot pass throughthe slot in the yoke arm 79. Thus when the lug 115 and washer 115a reachthe yoke arm the yoke arm is rocked about its pivot 99 to disengage thedrive linkage studs 94 from the slots in the reel side plate 87. Thediagonal portion 79b of the yoke arm 79 is provided to slide the cable,washer, and slug to the point shown in Fig. 4, regardless of theposition of the cable turn forming on the reel 75, so that there willalways be an adequate lever arm from the pivot 99.

In order to avoid possible overloading of the motor 64 in case any partof the drag line assembly jams, the sprocket 73 is rotatably mounted onthe shaft 72 and is provided with a friction slip clutch face 116 whichmeshes with a clutch member 117 having a matching face, the member 117being keyed on the shaft 72 outside the sprocket 73. The drive isthrough the engaging 45 tooth faces 117a. A clutch spring 118 surroundsthe shaft 72 and may be adjustably tensioned by means of a rotatablespring tensioning piece which has a series of stepped notches 120 toengage a stud 121 on the shaft. If the winch jams, the sprocket 73 mayturn independently of the winch assembly against the inclined faces ofthe clutch members 116 and 117. The force at which the sprocket 73 willturn independently is determined by the position of the springtensioning piece 120.

The gutter cleaner is ordinarily stored within the barn, and the entireelevating conveyor assembly C may be pivoted about the supporting pins37 at the bottom of the carriage member B to place it in an elevatedhorizontal position beneath the inside section 20 of the track assemblyA, where it is out of the way. As is plain from Fig. l, the conveyorassembly C is well balanced on the supporting pin 37 so that no greateffort is required to elevate its, lower end to storage position.

When the cleaner is to be used, the carriage member B is rolled alongthe track A onto the outside section 21 thereof, and the boom arm 22 isswung on its pivot 24 to align the conveyor assembly C with a gutter 13and position the intake chute 47 in the positioning well 14 with itsouter end in the trough 15.

At this time the cable 77 is fully wound upon the Winch reel 75, and thecable trip lug and washer 115a are abutted against the yoke arm 79 sothat the winch drive linkage is disengaged. .The latch arm 103 is in itslatching position, locking the yoke arm 79 so that the drive linkagecannot be engaged.

The motor 64 may be started to operate the conveyor chains 61, and sincethe cable trip mechanism is against the yoke arm 79 the friction clutchplate 91 simply slips on the clutch shoes 92 of the winch reel 75, sothat the winch remains stationary. The operator may then take the dragscoop 78 by its handle 84 and walk alongside the gutter 13 for aboutone-third the length of the gutter and place the drag scoop blade 85 inthe gutter, holding onto the handle to guide the scoop manually alongthe gutter. As the cable 77 is unreeled, the winch reel 75 rotatescounterclockwise against the light frictional driving force of theconstantly engaged clutch plate 91 and clutch shoes 92. The latch triplug 114 on the reel plate 88 contacts the spring latch finger 113 of thelatch bar 103 on each revolution of the reel; but since the springfinger is secured to the bar 103 only at its inner extremity it can bendfreely to let the trip lug past.

To manipulate the drive linkage control mechanism and engage the linkageto drive the winch positively, the operator need only grasp that part ofthe cable 77 which extends parallel to the drag scoop handle 84 and pullfew feet of cable through the eye 83. When this slack is released thewinch reel 75 is free to rotate under the light frictional driving forceof the clutch plate 91, and when the reel has made one revolution in aclockwise 9 direction the latch trip lug I14- strikes the spring finger113 from below, so that the finger is. not free to flex, and pivots the;latch arm it about its pivot 105, thus releasing the yoke arm- 7 9 fromthe latch piece 109'. The force of the spring 102 swings the yoke armabout its pivot 99, sliding the drive plate 93'- on the shaft 72 toengage the drive studs 94' with the. drive slots 95 of the winch reelside plate 87. The winch isthus positively driven through the linkage towind the cable 77 on the reel 75. When the yoke arm 79 is in drivingposition,

its free end 79a overlies the latch piece 109- to hold it in inoperativeposition. As the reel turns the latch trip lug I14 strikes the springfinger 113 on each, revolution; but due tothe arrangement of the latchspring 111 the latch arm 103 is free to pivot against the tension ofsaid spring, and thus the lug H4 rocks the latch arm and slides: pastit.

As the drag scoop 78 slides along the gutter it pushes the refuse aheadof it, and the material is usually of the proper consistency to pile uponly moderately ahead of the scoop blade 85' so that it forms a sort ofslug of material ahead of the scoop blade. Much of the material pushesalong en masse into the intake chute 47 of the conveyor assembly, andpasses through the chute onto the ramp 38 where it is picked up by thechain conveyor scrapers 62 and moved to the-elevated discharge end ofthe ramp 38 where it is pushed over the end of the ramp zc fallI into adisposal means such as a truck box T The cable 77 continues to wind onthe reel until the cable trip lug I15 and washer 115a strike the yokearm 79. Ordinarily the lug 115 will be so positioned on the cable thatit strikes the yoke arm when the drag scoop blade 85 is close to theupper end of the intake chute 47, so that the scoop may be used to clearall refuse from the chute onto the conveyor ramp 38. When the trip lug115 and washer 115a strike the yoke arm 79 they ride along the diagonalportion 79b until the leverage is great enough to pivot the arm againstthe force of the spring 102 to disengage the drive linkage; and when theyoke arm has pivoted a sufficient distance the latch piece 109 isreleased from beneath the free end 79a of the yoke arm and the latchspring 111 pivots the latch arm 103 to latching position.

This operation has cleaned about one-third of the gutter, more or less,depending upon the length of the gutter and the amount of refuse in it.The operation is repeated, pulling the drag scoop farther along thegutter each time until the entire gutter is clean. The lower end of theconveyor assembly C may then be elevated slightly, and the boom 22 swungto align the assembly with the other gutter. The operation is thenrepeated in the sec ond gutter as many times as is necessary to cleanthat gutter.

From the description of the operation, it is clear that each cleaningcycle breaks down into two substantially separate operations which occurin sequence. First a slug of refuse is slid along the gutter by the dragline scoop assembly D, and it is only at about the time the scoop isrelieved of load that the conveyor C assumes a load. This sequentialoperation serves to keep power requirements low. Likewise, it ispreferred to drive the conveyor C at a higher speed than the scoopassembly D so that the conveyor discharges its load before the scoop ismoved out to pick up a new slug of material. A suitable speed for thedrag line scoop is 100 feet per minute and for the conveyor 125 feet perminute.

When a barn has an even number of gutters, a swinging boom is preferred.When there is an odd number of gutters, the track parallel to the end ofthe building is preferred. In the latter case, the conveyor ispreferably stored in the space having the single gutter. Where there arefour or six gutters, it is preferable to use a swinging boom with eachpair and connect the two with. a section of track and two curves withinthe stable itself.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

l. in a portable barn gutter cleaner having means for moving refuse toan end of a bar-n gutter, mobile refuse removal apparatus comprising: awheeled carriage adapted to be moved from .a storage location inside .abarn to a working location outside the barn; an inclined conueyor rampon said carriage having continuous upstanding sidewalls; sprockets atthe ends of said ram-p5; drive means for the sprockets;continuouseonveyo-r chains extending over the sprockets at the two sidesof the conveyor ramp within the sidewalls, said chains having transversescrapers tov scrape theramp; an arcuate fluid trap surrounding 'thelower end of the ramp and positioned to have its inner surface contactedby the scrapers; and a pivoted intake chute, having its inner end abovethe lower portion of the conveyor; ramp and above the fluid trap, saidchute being adapted to have its outer end abut against a step at the endofa barn gutter.

2'. The apparatus of claim 1' wherein a return pan is spaced below theconveyor ramp and extends parallel to the conveyor ramp. from the fluidtrap to the discharge end ofthe ramp.

3. In a portable barn gutter cleaner having means for moving refuse to.an end of a gutter, in combinationa carriage member adapted to be movedfrom a storage location inside a barn to a working location outside thebarn; an elevating conveyor assembly supported on said carriage, saidassembly having an inclined ramp with an elevated discharge end; and ashallow conveyor positioning box for-med in the barn floor at the end ofa barn gutter to receive and position the lower end portion of theconveyor assembly, there being a small step down from the gutter to thepositioning boxagainst which the outer end of the conveyor assemblyabuts when in said positioning box.

4. The barn gutter cleaner of claim 31 in which the conveyor positioningbox has a floor which is above the gutter level and slants downwardlytoward the gutter end, and includes a shallow troughportion immediatelyadjacent the gutter end to receive liquid from the, gutter end and thebox.

5. The barn gutter cleaner of claim 4 in which the conveyor positioningbox has a lip at its outer end to provide a dam which is substantiallyflush with the cleaning alley floor.

6. The barn guttercleaner of claim 5 in which the outer face of the damis continuous with the end of the barn floor to provide a contactingsurface for the lower portion of the barn door.

7. The barn gutter cleaner of claim 3 in which the lower end of theconveyor assembly is provided with a pivoted intake chute which isnarrower than the lower end of the conveyor assembly ramp and has itsinner end above the end of the ramp, and which is broader than thegutter end.

8. The barn gutter cleaner of claim 7 in which the entire conveyorpositioning box is wider than the gutter, and the box walls diverge awayfrom the gutter end.

9. The barn gutter cleaner of claim 3 in which the lower end of theconveyor assembly is provided with hold-down means, and the conveyorpositioning box has engaging means which cooperate with said liold=downmeans to releasably lock the conveyor assembly with its lower endabutting the end of the gutter.

10. The barn gutter cleaner of claim 9 in which the hold-down meanscomprises a pair of retractible spring pressed plungers which extendbeyond the sides of the conveyor assembly, and the engaging means are apair of cups in the box wall to receive the ends of the plungers.

11. The barn gutter cleaner of claim 10 in which the plungers areretracted by means of a chain which extends upwardly from the plungersand spans the lower end of the conveyor ramp.

12. In a portable barn gutter cleaner having means for moving refusealong a gutter, a m e elevating cone veyor assembly having ,an'inclinedconveyor with'a re.- ceiving end and an elevated discharge end, and anin= take chute which has an outer end adapted to be posi-. tioncd toreceive refuse from said first named means' and an inner end above saidreceiving end of said inclined conveyor, said intake chute being atleast as wide at its inner end as it is at its outer en and being freeof lat-. eral restrictions,

13. In a p rta le arn gu te cle ner havin means for moving fuse to n enof a gutt m il l rating convey r assem y ha ng n in li e mp i areceiving end and an elevated d ch rg end, m n for mov g re use up saidramp, and a in ake .chute to receive refuse from sai first named means,said chute be n id r than a b rn gutter a d a rowe han s ramp, and beingmono-te for p votal mo ement in a vertical plane with its inner endpositioned above the receiving end of said ramp and its outer end at theend of a barn gutter, said intake chute being at least as wide at itsinner end as it is at its outer end, and being free of lateralrestrictions.

14. In a portable barn gutter cleaner having means for moving refuse toan end of a gutter, in combination, a shallow positioning box formed inthe barn floor at the end of a barn gutter which is wider than saidgutter and has its inner end below the gutter end to provide a shallowstep extending across the gutter end, a wheeled carriage, an elevatingconveyor having an inclined ramp provided with refuse moving meanssupported by said carriage, and an intake chute mounted at the lower endof said ramp for pivotal movement in a vertical plane, said chute beingwider than the gutter and narrower than said ramp so that it may bepositioned with one end against said step and the other end above thelower portion of said ramp.

15. A portable barn gutter cleaner", comprising: a wheeled carriage; anelevating conveyor assembly supported by said carriage, said assemblyincluding an inclined ramp; an intake chute having its inner end abovethe lower end of said ramp, said chute being at least as wide at itsinner end as it is at its outer end and being free of lateralobstructions; conveyor mechanism in said assembly; a winch mounted onsaid assembly; a drag scoop secured to a cable wound on said winch andadapted to be manually guided along a barn gutter; motor means mountedon the conveyor assembly for driving said conveyor mechanism and saidwinch; winch drive mechanism including a drive linkage connecting themotor means and the winch; and means for engaging and disengaging thedrive linkage.

16.A portable gutter cleaner for a barn which has a row of cow stallswith a refuse gutter therebehind having a shallow step down at an endadjacent the barn door and a cleaning alley extending alongside thegutter, comprising: an overhead track mounted above the cleaning alleyfloor, said track having a portion extending outside the barn; a wheeledcarriage mounted for rolling movement on said track from a storagelocation inside the barn to a working location outside the barn; supportmeans depending from said carriage and mounted thereon for pivotalmovement about a vertical axis; an inclined elevating conveyor assemblyhung from said support means so that when the carriage is outside thebarn said assembly may be positioned with only its lower receiving endportion inside the barn and its elevated discharge end outside the barn;conveyor mechanism in i against the step at the end of the gutter; awinch mounted on said assembly; a drag scoop secured to a cable wound onsaid winch and adapted to be manually guided along the barn gutter tomove any desired percentage of the refuse in the gutter into and throughsaid refuse intake means for pickup by the conveyor mechanism; motormeans for driving said mechanism and said winch; winch drive mechanismincluding a drive linkage connecting the motor means and the winch; andmeans for engaging and disengaging the drive linkage.

17. A portable gutter cleaner for a barn which has a row of cow stallswith a refuse gutter therebehind having a shallow step down at an endadjacent the barn door and a cleaning alley extending alongside thegutter, comprising: an overhead track mounted above the cleaning alleyfloor, said track having a portion extending outside the barn; a wheeledcarriage mounted for rolling movement on said track from a storagelocation inside the barn to a working location outside the barn; supportmeans depending from said carriage mounted thereon for pivotal movementabout a vertical axis; an inclined elevating conveyor assembly hung fromsaid support means so that when the carriage is outside the barn saidassembly may be positioned with only its lower receiving end portioninside the barn and its elevated discharge end outside the barn;conveyor mechanism in said assembly to move refuse from said receivingend to said discharge end; an intake chute pivotally mounted at thereceiving end of the assembly with its inner end portion positionedabove the lower end of said conveyor mechanism, said intake chute havinga base plate provided with a transversely extending outer margin whichmay be butted against the step at the end of the gutter; a winch mountedon said assembly; a drag scoop secured to a cable wound on said winchand adapted to be manually guided along the barn gutter to move anydesired percentage of the refuse in the gutter into and through saidintake chute for pickup by the conveyor mechanism; motor means fordriving said mechanism and said winch; winch drive mechanism including adrive linkage connecting the motor means and the winch; and means forengaging and disengaging the drive linkage.

18. A portable gutter cleaner for a barn which has a cleaning alleyextending inwardly from the door, refuse gutters flanking the cleaningalley which have a shallow step down at the ends adjacent the door, anda row of cow stalls flanking each gutter, comprising: an overhead trackextending inwardly from the door above the cleaning alley floor; aswinging boom pivoted on the outer wall of the barn above the door andprovided with a track which connects with said overhead track; a wheeledcarriage mounted for rolling movement on said track from a storagelocation inside the barn to a working location on the track on said boomwhereby said carriage may be positioned opposite the end of eithergutter; support means depending from said carriage and mounted thereonfor pivotal movement about a vertical axis; an inclined elevatingconveyor assembly hung from said support means so that when the carriageis outside the barn said assembly may be positioned with only its lowerreceiving end portion inside the barn and its elevated discharge endoutside the barn; conveyor mechanism in said assembly to move refusefrom said receiving end to said discharge end; refuse intake means atthe receiving end of the assembly including a base plate having atransversely extending outer margin which may be butted against the stepat the end of the gutter; a winch mounted on said assembly; a drag scoopsecured to a cable wound on said winch and adapted to be manually guidedalong the barn gutter to move any desired percentage of the refuse inthe gutter into and through said refuse intake means for pickup by theconveyor mechanism; motor means for driving said mechanism and saidwinch; winchdrive mechanism including a drive linkage connecting themotor means and the winch; and means for engaging and disengaging thedrive linkage.

19. A portable gutter cleaner for a barn which has a row of cow stallswith a refuse gutter therebehind having a shallow step down at an endadjacent the barn door and a cleaning alley extending alongside thegutter, comprising: an overhead track mounted above the cleaning alleyfloor, said track having a portion extending outside the barn; a wheeledcarriage mounted for rolling movement on said track from a storagelocation inside the barn to a working location outside the barn; supportmeans depending from said carriage and mounted thereon for pivotalmovement about a vertical axis, said support means including a yokehaving a transversely extending pivot pin; an elevating conveyorassembly hung from said pivot pin with its weight distributedsubstantially evenly on both sides of said pivot pin so that it may bereadily moved between an elevated horizontal storage position above thecleaning alley floor and an inclined loading position, whereby saidelevating conveyor assembly may be positioned with only its lowerreceiving end portion inside the barn and its elevated discharge endportion outside the barn; conveyor mechanism in said elevating conveyorassembly to move refuse from said receiving end to said discharge end;refuse intake means at the receiving end of the assembly including abase plate having a transversely extending outer margin which may bebutted against the step at the end of the gutter; a winch mounted onsaid assembly; a drag scoop secured to a cable wound on said winch andadapted to be manually guided along the barn gutter to move any desiredpercentage of the refuse in the gutter into and through said refuseintake means for pickup by the conveyor mechanism; motor means fordriving said mechanism and said winch; winch drive mechanism including adrive linkage connecting the motor means and the winch; and means forengaging and disengaging the drive linkage.

20. A portable gutter cleaner for a barn which has a row of cow stallswith a refuse gutter therebehind having a shallow step down at an endadjacent the barn door and a cleaning alley extending alongside thegutter, comprising: wheeled supporting carriage means of smalllongitudinal dimension, said carriage means having a horizontal pivot; anormally inclined elevating conveyor assembly supported on said pivotwith both its lower receiving end and its upper discharge end spaced asubstantial distance from any portion of said carriage means, and saidlower receiving end being of small height; conveyor mechanism in saidassembly to move refuse from said receiving end to said discharge end; abridge frame spanning the receiving end of the conveyor assembly andspaced only slightly thereabove; cable guide means secured to saidbridge frame; an intake chute pivotally mounted on said bridge framewith its inner end portion positioned above the lower end of theconveyor mechanism, said intake chute having a base plate with atransversely extending outer margin which may be butted against the stepat the end of a gutter; a winch mounted on said assembly close to saidhorizontal pivot; a drag scoop secured to a cable which extends throughsaid cable guide means and is wound on said winch, whereby said dragscoop may be drawn by said cable and manually guided along the barngutter to move any desired percentage of the refuse in the gutterthrough said intake chute for pickup by the conveyor mechanism; motormeans for driving said mechanism and said winch; winch drive mechanismincluding a drive linkage connecting the motor means and the winch; andmeans for engaging and disengaging the drive linkage.

21. A portable gutter cleaner for a barn which has a row of cow stallswith a refuse gutter therebehind having a shallow step down at an endadjacent the barn door and a cleaning alley extending alongside thegutter, comprising: an overhead track mounted above the cleaning alleyfloor, said track having a portion extending outside the barn; a wheeledcarriage mounted for rolling movement on said track from a storagelocation inside the barn to a Working location outside the barn; supportmeans depending from said carriage and mounted thereon for pivotalmovement about a vertical axis; an inclined elevating conveyor assemblyhung from said support means so that when the carriage is outside thebarn said assembly may be positioned with only its lower receiving endportion inside the barn and its elevated discharge end outside the barn;conveyor mechanism in said assembly to move refuse from said receivingend to said discharge end; refuse intake means at the receiving end ofthe assembly including a base plate having a transversely extendingouter margin which may be butted against the step at the end of thegutter; a winch mounted on said assembly; a drag scoop secured to acable wound on said winch and adapted to be manually guided along thebarn gutter to move any desired percentage of the refuse in the gutterinto and through said refuse intake means for pickup by the conveyormechanism; motor means for driving said mechanism and said winch; winchdrive mechanism including a drive linkage connecting the motor means andthe winch; and mechanical means controllable by movement of the dragscoop cable for engaging and disengaging the drive linkage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,053,206 Myers Feb. 18, 1913 1,668,815 Livingston May 8, 19281,699,175 Yarn Jan. 15, 1929 1,800,814 Boldt Apr. 14, 1931 1,885,069Baker Oct. 25, 1932 2,395,238 Thwaites Feb. 19, 1946 2,491,245 BergmanDec. 13, 1949 2,509,097 Hinz May 23, 1950 2,516,798 Peterson July 25,1950 2,529,954 McCann Nov. 14, 1950 2,535,961 Schutt Dec. 26, 19502,547,270 Kunz Apr. 3, 1951 2,547,773 Pittman Apr. 3, 1951 2,558,424Dretzke June 26, 1951 2,586,981 Nagel Feb. 26, 1952 2,603,371 HersheyJuly 15, 1952 2,636,593 Baehr Apr. 28, 1953 2,639,803 Tonagel et a1. May26, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 422,068 Great Britain Jan.4, 1935 OTHER REFERENCES Kewaunee Eng. Co. Barn Cleaner Publication,Adrian, Michigan. Recd in Div. 4, Aug. 15, 1950. (Copy available in Div.4, Class 198 O. X.)

